Dispenser for rolls of paper



Oct. 12, 1965 E. BUMP 3,211,504

DISPENSER FOR ROLLS OF PAPER Filed NOV. 21, 1963 '7 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

EDWARD L. BUMP ATTORNEY Oct. 12, 1965 E. L. BUMP 3,21

DISPENSER FOR ROLLS OF PAPER Filed Nov. 21, 1963 7 SheetsSheet 2 I 63 m as? 5 g a a g q v mg 0 I i m Q im G J 9H I a n q N a 8 g m m m m 3, '5 S :2 3 3 o :0

6 .D u O (1') C Q) O 1 8 7- m o 5 8 \9 m m m m r INVENTOR.

EDWARD L. BUMP ATTORNEY Oct. 12, 1965 E. BUMP 3,211,504

DISPENSER FOR ROLLS OF PAPER v Filed Nov. 21, less 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

EDWARD L. BUMP ATTORNEY Oct. 12, 1965 E. L. BUMP 3,211,504

DISPENSER FOR ROLLS OF PAPER Filed Nov. 21, 1963 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 P :1 Q0 I I a l d 5 P \9 O N \o m m N 8 m Q INVENTOR.

EDWARD L. BUMP ATTORNEY Oct. 12, 1965 E. BUMP 3,211,504

DISPENSER FOR ROLLS OF PAPER Filed NOV. 21, 1963 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 EEG HQ,

IF]: 11 (ED INVENTOR.

EDWARD L. BUMP ATTORNEY Oct. 12, 1965 E. BUMP 3,211,504

DISPENSER FOR ROLLS OF PAPER Filed Nov. 21, 1963 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR.

EDWARD L. BUMP BY ylw/L #M ATTORNEY Oct. 12, 1965 E. BUMP 3,211,504

DISPENSER FOR ROLLS OF PAPER Filed NOV- 21, 1965 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 um in, 88 mmhi. M [25 T\ 92 93b fumi g? INVENTOR.

EDWARD L. BUMP BY y w A5. 71%

ATTORNEY United States Patent Office 3,211,504 Patented Oct. 12, 1965 3,211,504 DISPENSER FOR ROLLS OF PAPER Edward L. Bump, Madison, Wis., assignor to Industrial Research and Development Corp., Madison, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Nov. 21, 1963, Ser. No. 325,265 13 Claims. (Cl. 312-39) My invention relates to an improved dispenser for rolls of paper or other similar material.

A primary object of my invention is to provide a dispenser which will contain two rolls of paper, one exposed for use and the other hidden in reserve.

Another object of my invention is to provide such a dispenser which has a sturdy, positive working mechanism to expose the second roll for use when the first roll is depleted.

A further object of my invention is to provide such a dispenser which has stationary means for supporting the rolls in rotatable relation, and which exposes the reserve roll for use when the first roll is depleted without requiring movement of the reserve roll.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the principles of the invention has been selected for exemplification.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view of one embodiment of my novel dispenser wherein the rolls are supported in vertically displaced relation.

FIG. 2 is a section view taken along section line 22 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a section view taken along section line 3-3 of FIG. 1, showing the interior of my dispenser with the right side of the dispenser shell removed.

FIG. 4 is a section view taken along section line 4-4 in FIG. 1, with the sliding door of the dispenser removed.

FIG. 5 is a section view taken along section line 55 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the sliding door of the dispenser of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the release arm of the dis penser of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a left side view of the release arm of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a top view of the release arm of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a partial section view of the dispenser of FIG. 1 taken along section line 1010 of FIG. 4, wherein the dispenser release arm is not sectioned and is shown in the position it assumes after the reserve roll has been exposed for use.

FIG. 11 is a partial section view taken along section line 11-11 of FIG. 10 showing the sliding door of the dispenser in its lower position.

FIG. 12 is a front view of a second embodiment of my dispenser wherein the paper rolls are disposed in horizontally displaced relation.

FIG. 13 is a rear view of the sliding door of the dispenser of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a vertical offset section view of the dispenser of FIG. 12 taken along section line 1414 of FIG. 15.

FIG. 15 is a vertical offset section view of the dispenser of FIG. 12 taken along section line 1515 of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a partial section view taken along section line 16-16 in FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a section View of the door of the dispenser of FIG. 12 taken along section line 17-17 of FIG. 13.

Both my vertical dispenser 20 of FIG. 1 and my horizontal dispenser 80 of FIG. 12 store and expose for successive use two rolls of toilet tissue, paper towels or other similar materials. The principles of operation of both dispensers are substantially the same.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5, the vertical dispenser 20 comprises a shell 21 which is divided into an upper compartment 23 and a lower compartment 24 which may contain upper and lower rolls of paper 72a and 72b, respectively. The shell 21 has an upper opening 25 which exposes the upper compartment 23, and a lower opening 26 which exposes the lower compartment 24. A door 27 is slidably mounted within the shell 21 to move up and down between the upper shell opening 25 and the lower shell opening 26.

When the upper compartment 23 and the lower compartment 24 each contains a roll of paper, the door 27 is held adjacent to the upper shell opening 25 by a release arm 28, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The roll of paper 72b in the lower compartment 24 is thus exposed for use, while the roll of paper 72a in the upper compartment 23 is hidden in reserve by the door 27. Upon depletion of the roll of paper 72b, the release arm 28 is adapted to release the door 27, dropping it from the upper shell opening 25 to the lower shell opening 26. This exposes the reserve roll of paper 72a in the upper compartment 23 for use. Only the release arm 28 and the door 27 move to successively expose for use the rolls of paper 72b and 72a. The rolls themselves remain in place.

The horizontal dispenser shown in FIGS. 12 and 16 comprises a shell 81 having a right opening 82 and a left opening 83. The shell 81 has a right compartment 84 and a left compartment 85, each of which may contain a roll of paper. The right opening 82 exposes the right compartment 84; the left opening 83 exposes the left compartment 85. A door 86 is slidably mounted within the shell 81 to move back and forth between a position adjacent to and closing the right shell opening 82 and a position adjacent to and closing the left shell opening 83.

In normal use when the right compartment 84 and the left compartment 85 each contain a roll of paper, a release arm 87 holds the door 86 at the position illustrated in FIGS. 12, and 14 to 16, wherein the right shell opening 82 is closed and the roll of paper 112 in the left compartment is exposed through the left opening 83 for use. Depletion of the left roll of paper 112 causes the release arm 87 to release the door 86. A tension spring 88, shown in FIG. 16, then pulls the door 86 a position adjacent to and closing the left shell opening 83. The reserve roll of paper 111 in the right compartment 84 is then exposed through the uncovered right shell opening 82 for use. It is, of course, obvious that my horizontal dispenser may be modified so that the door 86 initially closes the left shell opening 83 instead of the right shell opening 82. In such a case, operation of the dispenser 80 would be just the reverse of that illustrated and described herein. The door 86 may also be moved manually by means of the finger hole 89 located therein to expose the reserve roll 111. The spring 88 may then be eliminated.

The vertical dispenser 20 will be described in detail first. The illustrated shell 21, which is preferably made from a single piece of material, has a sloping top 29, a front 30 containing the openings 25 and 26, a floor 31, a right side 32a and a left side 32!). The open rear of the shell 21 is closed by a plate 22 which may be secured to a wall or other surface by any convenient means. Flanges 33a and 33b project substantially perpendicularly from the right and left side edges, respectively, of the plate 22 into the interior of the shell 21. A pin 35 or other similar means is inserted through the lower end of each flange 33a. and 33b and the adjacent side 32a and 3217, respectively, of the shell 21 to pivotally secure the shell 21 to the plate 22. The shell 21 and the plate 22 are 3 held in the closed relation of FIGS. 1 to 5 by any conventional lock and key mechanism 36. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the lock and key mechanism 36 is mounted in the top 29 of the shell 21 and in a channel 37 in upper end 38 of the plate 22. The floor 31 of the shell 21 preferably carries a plurality of rubber stops 41 to protect the wall or other surface upon which the dispenser 20 is mounted when the shell 21 is pivoted away from the plate 22.

The upper compartment 23 and the lower compartment 24 in the shell 21 are defined by the shell left side 32b, a wall 39 and a panel 40 which constitutes partition means, as best shown in FIG. 5. The wall 39, which is secured to the plate 22 by any suitable means, is substan tially parallel to the left side 32b, is approximately as tall as the shell front 30 and, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, is spaced from the front 30 by an amount which allows suificient room for the travel of the door 27. The panel 40 is rigidly secured to the plate 22, the wall 39 and left flange 33b, and extends in substantially horizontal relation.

The preferred supports for the rolls of paper to be dispensed are the two pairs of substantially cylindrical right and left stubs 42a and 42b, respectively, each having a flange 43 and a passage 44. The flange 43 of each right stub 42a is directly connected to the wall 39 by any suitable means. The passage 44 of the right stub 42a in the lower compartment 24 is aligned with an aperture 45 in the wall 39. The flange 43 of each left stub 42b is secured to a bracket 46. Each bracket 46 is preferably pivoted, at its rear end 47, to the left flange 33b by pins 48 or other similar means. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the front edge 49 of each bracket 46 is preferably curled, providing a convenient finger hold for pivoting the bracket. The stubs 42a and 42b in the lower compartment 24 are shown carrying a roll of paper 72 in FIG. 1.

The sliding door 27 is mounted for movement in a pair of corresponding slots 51 in the sides 32a: and 32b of the shell 21. The slots 51 are adjacent and substantially parallel to the shell front 30. Each of them has an upper notch 52 and a lower notch 53, and is narrowed at a point below the lower notch 53 by a projection 54 extending rearwardly from the front of the slot. The slots 51 serve the additional purpose of reinforcing the near the shell front 30 to cushion the force of the falling door 27.

The door 27, shown separately in FIG. 6, has a front 56 I which faces the front 30 of the shell 21, a right side 57a a left side 57b and a small flange 58 projecting from the bottom rear corner 59 of the right side 57a in substantially parallel relation to the front 56. Three lugs, 60a, 60b and 600, project outwardly from each side 57 of the door 27 and are adapted to ride within the slots 51, as will be described in detail as the description progresses.

The release arm 28, which maintains the door 27 in position adjacent to the upper shell opening 25 when there is a roll of paper 72b in the lower compartment 24, is

shown in detail in FIGS. 7 to 9. Preferably bent from a single channel element, the release arm 28 has a base portion 61, a foot 62 and an upright portion 63. The foot 62 projects upwardly from the inner end 64 of the base portion 61; the upright portion 63 slopes upwardly and forwardly from the outer end 65 of the base portion 61. The upright portion 63 has a substantially flat face 66 which is adapted to engage the flange 58 on the door 27. Preferably, the face 66 and the flange 58 are approximately the same size.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 5 and 10, the release arm 28 is pivotally mounted to the outer surface 67 of the wall 39 by brackets 68 and a pin 69. The brackets 68 are fixedly secured to the surface 67 by any suitable means. The release arm 28 is positioned such that its base portion 61 projects through the aperture in the wall 39, the

passage 44 in the lower right stub 42a and into the lower compartment 24, while its upright portion 62 projects into the space between the wall 39 and the right side 32a of the shell 21. The pin 69, which is preferably substantially horizontal, engages the release arm 28 at approximately the intersection of the release arm base portion 61 and upright portion 63.

When the release arm 28 is positioned as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5 to place its base portion 61 and foot 62 in approximately their highest positions, the face 66 of its upright portion 63 engages the flange 58 on the door 27 in abutting relation to maintain the door in its upper position adjacent to and closing the upper shell opening 25. A downward movement of the base portion 61 rotates the upright portion 63 upwardly and inwardly to the position shown in FIG. 10, thereby disengaging the face 66 and the flange 58. Such movement allows the door 27 to drop to its lower position illustrated in FIG. 11, wherein it is adjacent to and closing the lower shell opening 26.

The release arm 28 is adapted to be used with rolls of paper wound on split cores composed of two separate cylindrical parts 71, as shown in dotted line in FIG. 5 and in section in FIG. 10, or on other types of cylindrical cores, which are collapsible upon substantial depletion of the roll of paper. Assuming that the dispenser 20 is empty, a Workmans first task in filling it is to unlock the lock and key mechanism 36 and pivot the shell 21 downward about the pins 35. A roll having a split core is then inserted between each pair of corresponding stubs 42a and 42b. Because each left stub 42b and supporting bracket 46 is pivotable on left flange 33b, insertion is fast and easy. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the split core of the lower roll 72b slips over the foot 62 and the base portion 61 of the release arm 28 to maintain the base portion 61 in its upward position and the face 66 of its upright portion 63 in position to engage the flange 58 on the door 27.

Next, the door 27 is pushed to its upper position adjacent to and closing the upper shell opening 25, with its lower pair of lugs 60c resting in the notches 52 in the slots 51 on each side of the shell 21. The shell 21 may then be locked against the plate 22. As the shell 21 is pivoted upon pins 35 to close against the plate 22 for use, the flange 58 of the door 57 is pressed against the 'face 66 of the upright portion 63 of the release arm 28, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. That pressing engagement holds the lower pair of lugs 600 in the notches 52 of slot 51 to maintain the door 27 in its upper position.

The door 27' is held in its upper position as long as the release arm 28 is supported by the split core of the lower roll of paper 72b. The split core will support the release arm 28 until the roll of paper 72b carried by the core is depleted. During that time, the lower roll 72b is exposed for use through the lower shell opening 26, while the upper roll is hidden in reserve by the sliding door 27.

When the lower roll is 'depleted, its separate core parts 71 drop off the lower stubs 42a and 42b to eliminate the support for the foot 62 and the base portion 61 of the release arm 28, and to allow the release arm 28 to pivot counterclockwise with reference to FIG. 10 about the pin 69 to the position shown in FIG. 10. Although the weight of the release arm 28 is normally suflicient to cause it to pivot as described, a spring (not shown) may be attached to the arm in any convention manner to more positively pivot the release arm. The face 66 of its upright portion 63 is thereby rotated upward and to the left, out of contact with the flange 58 on the the door 27. The door 27 then slides down the slots 51 to its lower position adjacent to and closing the lower shell opening 26, which is illustrated in FIG. 11. When the lower pair of lugs 600 on the door 27 makes contact with the projections 54 in the slots 51 as it slides downward,

the door 27 is pushed backward to engage the middle pair of lugs 60b in the notches 53. This locks the door 27 in its lower position. The upper roll 72 is now exposed for use through the upper shell opening 25. When the upper roll 72a has been depleted, the dispenser 20 must be refilled.

The horizontal dispenser 80 of FIGS. 12 to 17 may now be described in more detail. The shell 81, which is preferably made from a single piece of material, has a top 90, a curved front 91 having openings 82 and 83, a bottom 92, a right side 93a and a left side 93b. The open rear of the shell 81 is closed by a plate 94 which may be secured to a wall or other surface by any convenient means. Flanges 95a and 95b project substantially perpendicularly from the right and left side edges respectively, of the plate 94 into the interior of the shell 81. A pin 98 or other similar means is inserted through the lower end of each flange 95a and 95b and the adjacent side 93a and 93b, respectively, of the shell 81 to pivotally secure the shell 81 to the plate 94. The shell 81 and the plate 94 are held in closed relation by any conventional lock and key mechanism 97. As shown in FIG. 15, the lock and key mechanism 97 is mounted in the top 90 of the shell 81 and in a channel 98 in the plate 94. A plurality of rubber stops 99 project from the bottom 92 of the shell 81. When the shell 81 is pivoted downward about the pins 96, the stops 99 protect the surface on which the dispenser 80 is mounted.

The right compartment 84 and the left compartment 85 in the shell 81 are generally defined by a bracket 100 which extends into the interior of the shell 81 from the plate 94 to constitute partition means. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the bracket 100 has a left wall 101 and a right wall 102, both of which project perpendicularly from the plate 94. A front wall 103 joins the front ends of the right and left walls 101 and 102. Flanges 104 extend substantially perpendicularly from the rear ends of the right and left walls 101 and 102, and are secured to the plate 94 by any suitable means. Preferably, the walls 101, 102 and 103, and the flanges 104 are parts of a single piece of material. A space sufiiciently large for the passage of the sliding door 86 exists between the front 91 of the shell 81 and the front wall 103 of the bracket 100.

Substantially cylindrical stubs 105a and 105b, each having a flange 106 and a passage 107, preferably support the rolls of paper. The flanges 106 of the left and right inner stubs 105a are secured to the left and right walls 101 and 102, respectively, of the bracket 100 by any suitable means. The passage 107 in the left inner stub 105 is aligned with an aperture 108 in the left wall 101 of the bracket 100. The flanges 106 of the right and left outer stubs 105b are secured to right and left bracket 109a and respectively. Brackets 109a and 10917 are pivoted to flanges 95a and 95b, respectively, by pins 110 or other similar means. The brackets 109a and 10911 and their means of attachment are similar to the brackets 46 and their means of attachment. In FIG. 14, the stubs 105a and 10517 are shown carrying rolls of paper 111 and 112.

The door 86, as shown in FIGS. 13 and to 17, has a front 113 curved to correspond to the curved front 91 of the shell 81, a right side 114 and a left side 115. The sides 114 and 115 do not extend the full height of the door 86, but rather stop short of the both the top edge 116 and the bottom edge 117 of the front 113. As shown in FIG. 16, the tension spring 88 extends between a lug 118 extending from the rear surface of the door front 113 and the left side 93b of the shell 81. The upper end 119 of the left side 115 preferably includes the three perpendicular surfaces 120 best shown in FIG. 14, which define a reinforced corner 121.

An upper guide 122 and a lower guide 123, which are shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, slidably mount the door 86 for movement in the shell 81. The upper guide 122 de- 6 fines with the shell front 91 a slot 124, and the lower guide 123 defines with the shell front 91 a slot 125. The top edge 116 of the door 86 rides in the slot 124, while the bottom edge 117 rides in the slot 125.

The release arm 87, which maintains the door 86 in position adjacent to and closing the right shell opening 82 when there is a roll of paper 112 in the left compartment 85, is shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. Preferably bent from a single channel element, the release arm 87 has a base portion 126, a foot 127, an upright portion 128 and a forward portion 129. The forward portion 129 is substantially horizontal and extends forward from the upright portion 128 in substantially perpendicular relation, as shown in FIG. 15 It has a substantially flat side face 132 which is adapted to engage the upper end 119 of the left side 115 of the door 86.

The release arm 87 is pivotally mounted to the right surface 133 of the left wall 101 of the bracket by brackets 134 and a pin 135. The brackets 134 are fixedly secured to the surface 133 by any suitable means. The pin 135, which is preferably horizontal, engages the release arm 87 slightly above the intersection of the base portion 126 and the upright portion 128. The base portion 126 extends through the aperture 108 in the left wall 101, the passage 107 in the left inner stub a and into the left compartment 85. The upright portion 128 extends into the space between the walls 101 and 102 of the bracket 100. The forward portion 129 is spaced slightly above the top of the right wall 102.

Like the release arm 28, the release arm 87 is adapted to be used on split cores having two cylindrical parts 71, as shown in FIG. 14. To fill an empty dispenser 80, a workman unlocks the lock and key mechanism 97, and pivots the shell 81 downward about the pins 96. A roll having a split core is then inserted between each pair of corresponding stubs 105a and 105b in the same manner rolls are inserted in the dispenser 20. As indicated in FIG. 14, the split core of the left roll 112 slips over the foot 127 and the base portion 126 of the release arm 87 to maintain the base portion 126 in its upward position, and the face 132 of its forward portion 129 in position to engage the reinforced upper end 119 of the left side of the door 86.

Next, the door 86 is pulled to the right against the force of the tension spring 88 to close the right shell opening 82. The finger hole 89 may be used conveniently to hold the door 86 in that position during the remaining operation. The shell 81 is now locked against the plate 94. As the shell 81 closes against the plate 94, the reinforced upper end 119 of the door 86 slides against the face 132 of the release arm 87. The release arm then holds the door 86 in position adjacent to and closing the right shell opening 82 and exposing the left roll of paper 112 for use.

The door 86 is held in that position as long as the re lease arm 87 is supported by the split core of the left roll of paper 112. When the left roll is depleted, its separate core parts drop off the stubs 105a and 105b to eliminate the support for the foot 127 and the base portion 126 of the release arm 87, and to allow the release arm 28 to pivot counterclockwise, With reference to FIG. 14, about the pin 135, in the same manner that the release arm 28 of the vertical dispenser 20 pivots about pin 69 thereof upon depletion of the lower roll 72b. The

side face 132 of the release arm upright portion 128 is thereby rotated upward and to the left, out of contact with the upper end 119 of the door 86. The door 86 is then free to slide in upper and lower slots 124 and 125, respectively, to the left to open the shell right opening 82 and expose the right roll of paper 111, and to close the shell left opening 83. When the extension spring 88 is employed, the spring 88 causes the door 86 to move to the left. When no such spring is used, the door 86 may be moved to the left by means of the finger hole 89.

It is understood that my invention is not confined to the particular construction and arrangement of parts hereand maintaining said door in its first positionwhen said base portion is supported in its said upper position and for releasing said door and allowing it to 7 in illustrated and described, but embraces all such modified forms thereof as come within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A dispenser for rolls of paper comprising:

(a) a plate, a shell, a panel and a wall, said plate and said shell define with said panel and said wall an upper compartment and a lower compartment,

(b) means for supporting a roll of paper in each of said compartments,

() said shell having an upper opening which exposes said upper compartment, and a lower opening which exposes said lower compartment,

(d) said shell having a pair of corresponding substan tially vertical slots,

(e) a door slidable in said slots to move up and down between a first position closing said upper shell open ing and exposing said lower compartment and a second position closing said lower shell opening and exposing said upper compartment,

(f) a pivotable rigid release arm having a base portion and an upright portion,

(g) said base portion extending into said lower compartment and being pivotable between an upper position, wherein said base portion may be supported by the substantially cylindrical core of a roll of paper supported in said lower compartment, and a lower position which said base portion will occupy when it is not supported by such a core,

(h) said upright portion including means for engaging and maintaining said door in its said first position when said base portion is supported in its said upper position and for releasing said door and allowing it to drop to its said second position when said base portion pivots from its said upper position to its said lower position.

2. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein:

(a) the door has a plurality of lugs, and

(b) the slots each have a plurality of notches,

(c) at least one of said lugs being adapted to engage at least one of said notches when the door is engaged by the release arm and maintained in its said first position,

(d) and at least one of said lugs being adapted to engage at least one of said notches when said door is not engaged by said release arm and is in its said second position.

3. A dispenser for rolls of paper comprising:

(a) a plate, a shell, a bracket and a wall, said plate and said wall define with said bracket and said wall a first compartment and a horizontally disposed second compartment,

(b) said shell having a first opening which exposes sald first compartment, and a second opening which exposes said second compartment,

(c) means for supporting a roll of paper in each of said compartments,

(d) horizontal guide means carried by said shell above and below said openings,

(e) a door carried by said guide means and adapted to slide back and forth between a first position closing said first shell opening and exposing said second compartment and a second position closing said second shell opening and exposing said first compartment,

(f) a pivotable rigid release arm having a base portlon and an upright portion,

(g) said base portion extending into said second compartment and being pivotable between an upper position, wherein said base portion may be supported by the substantially cylindrical core of a roll of paper supported in said second compartment, and a lower position which said base portion will occupy when it is not supported by such a core,

(h) said upright portion including means for engaging move to its said second position when said base por- 5 tion pivots from its said upper position to its said lower position.

4. The invention described in claim 3 wherein a spring extends between the door and one side of the shell thereby to move the door from its first position to its second position upon release of the door by the release arm.

5. In combination, a dispenser for rolls of paper com prising:

(a) a plate, a wall, partition means and a shell, said plate and shell define with said wall and partition means a first compartment and a second compartment,

(b) said shell having a first opening which exposes said first compartment and a second opening which exposes said second compartment,

(c) a first roll of paper supported in rotatable relation in said first compartment and a second roll of paper supported in rotatable relation in said second compartment,

(d) said second roll of paper being wound on a substantially cylindrical core adapted to collapse upon substantial depletion of the roll of paper wound thereon,

(e) a door slidably mounted in said shell to move between a first position closing said first shell opening and exposing said second compartment and a second position closing said second shell opening and exposing said first compartment,

(f) a pivotable rigid release arm having a base portion and an upright portion,

(g) said base portion extending within the cylindrical core of said second roll of paper in said second compartment and being supported therby in an upper position,

(h) said base portion being pivotable to a lower position upon substantial depletion of said second roll of paper and the collapse of said supporting core,

(i) said release arm upright portion including means for engaging and maintaining said door in its first position when said base portion is supported in said upper position, and for releasing said door when said base portion pivots to said lower position to allow said door to move to its second position.

6. The combination described in claim 5 wherein the collapsible cylindrical core of the second roll of paper consists of two separate cylindrical sections.

7. A dispenser for rolls of paper comprising:

(a) a plate, a wall, partition means and a shell, said plate and said shell define with said wall and partition means a first compartment and a second compartment,

(b) said shell having a first opening which exposes said first compartment, and a second opening which exposes said second compartment,

(c) means for supporting a roll of paper in each of said compartments,

((1) a door slidably mounted in said shell to move between a first position closing said first shell opening and exposing said second compartment and a second position closing said second shell opening and exposing said first compartment,

(e) means for maintaining said door in said first position when a roll of paper is supported in said second compartment, and for releasing said door upon substantial depletion of said roll of paper to allow said door to move to said second position,

(f) said door maintaining means including a pivotable rigid release arm having a base'portion and an upright portion,

(g) said base portion extending within said second compartment and being pivotable between an upper position, wherein said base portion may be supported by the substantially cylindrical core of a roll of paper supported in said second compartment, and a lower position which said base portion will occupy when it is not supported by such a core,

(h) said upright portion including means for engaging and maintaining said door in its first position when said base portion is supported in said upper position, and for releasing said door when said base portion pivots to said lower position.

8. The invention as described in claim 7 wherein the door has a flange and wherein the means for engaging and releasing the door includes a substantially flat face which presses against the flange of said door to maintain said door in its first position and which pivots away from the flange of said door to release said door.

9. A dispenser for rolls of paper wound on a split core comprising:

(a) a plate, a wall, partition means and a shell, said plate and said shell defining with said wall and partition means a first compartment and a second compartment,

(b) said shell having a first opening which exposes said first compartment, and a second opening which exposes said second compartment,

(c) means for supporting a roll of paper Wound on a split core in each of said compartments,

(d) a door slidably mounted in said shell to move between a first position closing said first shell open ing and exposing said second compartment and a second position closing said second shell opening and exposing said first compartment, and

(e) pivotable means for maintaining said door in said first position when a portion of said pivotable means is supported in the split core of said roll of paper supported in said second compartment, and for releasing said door upon the collapsing of the split core of said roll of paper in said second compartment to allow said door to move to said second position.

10. The invention described in claim 9 wherein said.

first compartment and first shell opening are vertically displaced above said second compartment and second shell opening, respectively.

11. The invention described in claim 9 wherein said first compartment and first shell opening are horizontally displaced from said second compartment and second shell opening, respectively.

12. The invention as described in claim 9 additionally including spring means for moving the door from its first position to its second position upon release of said door by said pivotable door maintaining means.

13. The invention described in claim 9 additionally including means for manually moving the door from its first position to its second position upon release of said door by said pivotable door maintaining means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,993,658 7/61 Sweeney 312-39 X 3,010,670 11/61 Jones et a1 24255.3 3,061,218 10/62 Moore 24255.3 3,126,234 3/ 64 Batlas et al 31239 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Examiner. 

1. A DISPENSER FOR ROLLS OF PAPER COMPRISING: (A) A PLATE, A SHELL, A PANEL AND A WALL, SAID PLATE AND SAID SHELL DEFINE WITH SAID PANEL AND SAID WALL AN UPPER COMPARTMENT AND A LOWER COMPARTMENT, (B) MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A ROLL OF PAPER IN EACH OF SAID COMPARTMENTS, (C) SAID SHELL HAVING AN UPPER OPENING WHICH EXPOSES SAID UPPER COMPARTMENT, AND A LOWER OPENING WHICH EXPOSES SAID LOWER COMPARTMENT, (D) SAID SHELL SLIDBLE IN SAID SLOTS TO MOVE UP AND DOWN TIALLY VERTICAL SLOTS, (E) A DOOR SLIDABLE IN SAID SLOTS TO MOVE UP AND DOWN BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION CLOSING SAID UPPER SHELL OPENING AND EXPOSING SAID LOWER COMPARTMENT AND A SECOND POSITION CLOSING SAID LOWER SHELL OPENING AND EXPOSING SAID UPPER COMPARTMENT, (F) A PIVOTABLE RIGID RELEASE ARM HAVING A BASE PORTION AND AN UPRIGHT PORTION, (G) SAID BASE PORTION EXTENDING INTO SAID LOWER COMPARTMEMT AND BEING PIVOTABLE BETWEEN AN UPPER POSITION, WHEREIN SAID BASE PORTION MAY BE SUPPORTED BY THE SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL CORE OF A ROLL OF PAPER SUPPORTED IN SAID LOWER COMPARTMENT, AND A LOWER POSITIONED WHICH SAID BASE PORTION WILL OCCUPY WHEN IT IS NOT SUPPORTED BY SUCH A CORE, (H) SAID UPRIGHT PORTION INCLUDING MEANS FOR ENGAGING AND MAINTAINING SAID DOOR IN ITS SAID FIRST POSITION WHEN SAID BASE PORTION IS SUPPORTED IN ITS SAID UPPER POSITION AND FOR RELEASING SAID DOOR AND ALLOWING IT TO DROP TO ITS SAID SECOND POSITION WHEN SAID BASE PORTION PIVOTS FROM ITS SAID UPPER POSITION TO ITS SAID LOWER POSITION. 